Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(47)

He turned away from me, his cape floating around his legs from the sudden movement. “I should never have become king in the first place.” He snatched a candlestick from the table and hurled it across the room. The metal clanged against the stone wall before tumbling to the ground.

I moved closer to him. “Didn’t you just say we all have a choice?”

He swiveled around to face me. “Don’t lecture me,” he snapped. “I didn’t ask for this magic.”

“No, you didn’t. But you certainly can choose how to wield it.”

“You know nothing,” he spat. “The magic wields me.” His shoulders hunched forward. “I am but a tool. The day I fell in love, I lost my free will.”

“No, you didn’t.” Love didn’t take away your choice. It wasn’t supposed to work that way.

“Kaia,” he whispered. “You have no idea. You shouldn’t even be here.” He shook his head.

A soldat entered the room. “Your Highness,” he announced. “She is ready for you.”





Chapter Fourteen


Morlet yanked me out of the dining room, through the great hall, and into a dark sitting room. Two sofas and several chairs were situated in the center of the space. The only light came from the fire in the hearth. Incense hung heavy in the air, making my head spin. I wanted to run from the room, but Morlet gripped both my arms, holding me firmly in front of him.

“Here’s the last Kriger,” he said in a bitter voice.

I didn’t see who he was speaking to. Suddenly, a shadow detached from the wall and glided toward me, morphing into a hunched over human-like figure. As it neared, it appeared to be an elderly woman with long, knotted gray hair hanging down her back. She reminded me of Grei Heks.

“Gha,” the old woman said, the menacing sound making my skin prickle. Her eyes were solid black, and I took a step away from her, bumping into Morlet.

He kept hold of my arms, squeezing tightly. Sweat dripped down my forehead.

“A girl?” Skog Heks crackled. “All these years searching. No wonder we couldn’t find all twelve Krigers.”

My head felt heavy, as if I were about to fall asleep. Incense smoke swirled around me in the hot room. Morlet’s right hand slid down my arm to my wrist. As soon as we had skin-to-skin contact, the fogginess receded, and I could focus again.

“How old are you?” she asked while her plump, wrinkled fingers played with a string of beads.

“Sixteen,” I replied.

Her black eyes narrowed. “Your power must be strong.” Skog Heks closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “I can feel your strength,” she purred. “It will be a pleasure watching you squirm.” A devilish smile spread across her face. “Take her to my play room.”

“I got her here—she’s mine,” Morlet said.

She fingered her beads. “Do you want to find out where her weapon is, or should I?”

Morlet stiffened behind me. “I’ll do it.”

“Then by all means,” she said. “Get to work.”

He led me from the room, back to the great hall. I inhaled the cool air as Morlet dragged me along after him. “Where are we going?”

“The torture chamber.”

Fear shot through me. Torture? I couldn’t wait to be united with the Krigers before attempting to flee. Six soldats marched behind me. After escaping Morlet, I’d have to deal with them. Since they were the king’s personal guards, they were probably lethal fighters.

I needed to act quickly while still on the ground floor. Fabric hung on the wall to my left concealing the windows. Pretending to trip, I fell, tugging Morlet down with me. Caught off guard, he didn’t have an opportunity to use his magic. I rolled, hauling him on top of me so his back was to my chest. Wrapping my right arm around his neck, I squeezed. The men surrounded us, drawing their swords and pointing the tips at me.

“Stay back!” I shouted, pressing harder. “Or he dies.”

After a long, excruciating ten seconds, Morlet’s body went limp—he’d passed out. I reached above me, grabbed the nearest soldat’s leg, and let my power surge through me. He screamed and tumbled to the ground. I shoved Morlet off me and jumped to my feet, my hands outstretched.

Everyone backed up, clutching their heads in pain. I continued to release my power. Once they were far enough away, I picked up one of the dropped swords and yanked down the nearest curtain. Light burst into the corridor. Using the hilt of the sword, I whacked the lead glass, shattering it. After shooting one last burst of power toward the men, I dropped the sword and climbed out the window, falling ten feet to the ground and landing on brown weeds.

Scrambling to my feet, I took off sprinting along the side of the castle knowing men armed with bows would be after me at any moment. I needed to make it past the wall that surrounded the castle grounds and into the city to hide. When I reached the end of the castle, I ran across the open field heading straight toward the wall. There were a few large oak trees, but not enough to conceal me.

My entire body became paralyzed, and I collapsed to the ground. Cold liquid slithered through my limbs. Pounding footsteps quickly approached from behind, and soldats surrounded me.

“Remember,” Morlet said, “don’t kill her.” Black fabric came into my line of sight. “That was a very stupid thing you did.” He crouched beside me. His blue eyes glistened with malice beneath the hood of his cape. “How could you do that to me?”